


The Quality of Silence

by orphan_account



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-02
Updated: 2010-12-02
Packaged: 2017-10-13 11:57:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/137102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back at 221b, Sherlock is silent, John is tetchy, and tea is forgotten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Quality of Silence

Life with Sherlock was made up of many types of silences:

There was the sleeping silence when he would fall asleep, sometimes mid-thought: an abrupt cessation of words.

There was the thinking silence, never lasting very long: a moment when all the pieces would fall into place.

There was the tea-drinking silence: a moment of rest.

There was the nicotine patch silence, heralded by a bitten-off moan.

There was the pitying, withering silence, reserved for when John made a particularly erroneous conclusion.

And then there was this silence.

John knew he should just head up to bed, but he stood there irresolute as Sherlock sat, wrapped in his coat, staring at the blank telly.

"D'you want to talk about it?" he finally asked.

Silence.

"Erm, we never…"

Silence.

"My therapist says…"

Silence.

"Look, I don't know…"

"That much is obvious."

"Well then, _tell_ me."

Silence.

"You think I betrayed you."

"Wrong."

"Then what do you think, Sherlock, because I'm damned if I know. And I can't deal with this… silence!"

"Then go to bed, John."

"No."

 _Then_ Sherlock turned.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Because you're so bloody clever? You like keeping your secrets? So that I can be impressed by your genius? Fucking _tell me_ what's got your damn knickers in such a twist." John felt his hand begin to twitch.

"I'm not going to tell you, because I don't fucking _know_ , John. I saw you in the pool with the Semtex, heard you speaking and …" Sherlock rose, hurtled across the room and grasped John's face. "And it all came apart."

"And all the king's horses…" John said indistinctly around Sherlock's grip.

"If that's a reference to my sodding git of a brother…" Sherlock released him and spun away, fists clenched. "I knew you'd be too thick to understand."

Silence stretched between them. But this time, John knew exactly what to say.

"Sit down you great idiot, and I'll make us some tea. And then I'll show you just how _together_ we are."

"John," Sherlock's voice was strangled. He turned and John could not swear to it, but it seemed were tears in the other man's eyes. "Forget the damned tea," he said as he kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Bluestocking79 and AnnieTalbot for the beta and the hand holding. Not mine, no money made.


End file.
